NEWS
Judgment: Baba Ijesha took his acting too far – Judge
Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of an Ikeja Special Offences Court on Thursday held that Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju James, alias Baba Ijesha, convicted for defiling a 14-year-old, took his acting too far.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Taiwo sentenced Baba Ijesha to 16 years’ imprisonment for defiling a minor.
The judge sentenced the convict to five years’ imprisonment on count two, three years on count three, five years on count four and three years on count five of the six~count charge he faced.
She, however, said that the sentencing, which must take effect from July 14, should should run concurrently.
“The defendant took his acting too far. Children are frequently preyed on because of their inability to defend themselves.
“However, the court is not distracted. The defendant abused the position of friendship.
“This case brings to the limelight various sexual assault cases in the society despite the efforts of government and non-governmental organisations to sensitise the public on incessant cases of sexual assault.
“The is very sad. The behaviour of the defendant is appalling, as this shows the length people can go in exhibiting the animalistic urge in them,” she said.
The judge remarked that the case attracted frivolous comments on social media because of the personality of the actor.
NAN reports that Baba Ijesha broke down in tears after the judge pronounced the judgment.
He was surrounded by his colleagues in the movie industry.
NAN also reports that his counsel, Mr Gabriel Olabiran, had prayed the court to consider the least sentence for him.
Olabiran said that the convict was a first-time offender and had passed through trauma of incarceration both at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, and at the Kirikiri Custodial Centre.
“There is no doubt that the defendant is very remorseful. My lord, we pray you to consider the fact that the defendant is an actor who has impacted positively on the society in the course of his career.
“We urge your lordship to be lenient with the defendant who has lost almost all his image all over the world and will be deserted by his colleagues in the movie industry.
READ ALSO: Baba Ijesha bags i6 years imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor
“He has an aged parents, wife and son who depend on him; they look up to him coming back home. We assure the court that the defendant is a changed person who will not go back to his vomit.
“We urge the court to be merciful unto him and consider the least sentence,” Olabiran said.
Prosecution team led by Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution, Dr Babajide Martins, left the sentencing at the discretion of the court.
“The law has taken its course. The offences that my lord has found the defendant liable have custodial sentencing.
“Count two is for seven years, count three is for four years, count four is liable for seven years and count five is for three years.
“We, however, leave the sentencing at the discretion of the court,” Martins said.
Baba Ijesha faced six counts of child defilement that included indecent treatment of a child, sexual assault, attempted sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault by penetration.
The Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions, which proffered the charges against the actor, argued that the offences contravened Section 135, 137, 261, 202, 262 and 263 of the Lagos State Criminal Law 2015, which stipulates up to life imprisonment for offenders.
Baba Ijesha pleaded not guilty to all the counts on arraignment. (NAN)
The President of the African School of Governance, Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu has admonished state actors against resorting to brutal force in the bid to muscle out separatist agitators.
In the aftermath of Mazi Simon Ekpa, the Finland based Biafran nationalist agitator being caught in legal web and the Nigerian government moving swiftly to seek his repatriation, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned that ‘We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.’
ALSO READ: Finnish Police Arrest Simon Ekpa Over Terror-Related Allegations
The political economist, while expressing his hope in Nigeria, made it clear that “hope is not a strategy”.
He bared his mind in a series of posts on his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X on Friday.
Moghalu wrote, “Despite sustained contemporary difficulties, I am hopeful about Nigeria. But hope is not a strategy. We need to improve state capacity for effective governance.
“We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.
“We must learn to be honest with ourselves and address the root causes of our problems. Why ignore them, when the problem is actually quite solvable? The problem with continuing with this approach is that when the danger crystallizes, those who thought they were benefiting from
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s plan to secure an additional N1.7 trillion loan through Eurobonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, describing the borrowing as unsustainable and harmful to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement shared on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of burdening Nigerians with debt while failing to provide clear answers about the country’s fiscal challenges.
READ ALSO: CSR: Dangote Cement Fuels Education With Support Projects At Lagos Schools
He also faulted the National Assembly for enabling what he called a “voracious appetite” for loans.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed alarm over a recent World Bank report ranking Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), calling the development troubling.
“The recent report released by the World Bank, showing Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), is very concerning,” Atiku stated.
He raised further concerns about the government’s decision to benchmark the proposed loan at an exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate being over N1,600.
“What makes this particular loan proposal even more concerning is that it is benchmarked at the exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, whereas the current exchange rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria stands at over N1,600 to 1 USD,” he said.
Atiku questioned the need for additional borrowing, given the government’s earlier claims of record-high revenue collection.
“In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the FIRS and Customs under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the budget. Why are they still borrowing?” he said
He accused the government of a lack of transparency, describing the borrowing spree as detrimental to Nigerians already struggling under economic hardship.
“There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”
Atiku also referenced a report by BudgIT, a budget monitoring group, which criticized the 2024 budget for its inefficiencies.
He alleged that corruption, rather than infrastructure or development needs, was driving the government’s borrowing decisions.
“These loans are powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. This voracious appetite for humongous loans is deeply concerning,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s financial history, Atiku lamented the return to significant foreign indebtedness just years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration cleared the country’s debt.
“It is agonizing to see that just a few years after the Obasanjo administration took us out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” he stated.
He called for a more cautious approach to borrowing, urging the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency to avoid worsening Nigeria’s economic challenges.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.
In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
READ MORE: Osun Govt Decries Attempted Murder Of Park Mgt Chairman By Police
The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.
Gaetz Withdraws From Trumps Cabinet Nomination
Moghalu Prescribes Good Governance As Panacea To Ethnic Agitation
Davido Is Our Son, Our Pride – Gov Adeleke
NANTA Champions Nigeria’s Tourism Revival With ₦742m Investment
Adeleke Represents SW On Ad Hoc Committee on Nat’l Electrification Plan
Wizkid Drops Sixth Studio Album ‘Morayo’
OSSG Raises Alarm Over Murder Plot By APC Chieftain
NCC, SMEDAN, NAICOM, SEC, Others Set for SUPERNEWS SMEs Conf June 13
Sahara’s Tonye Cole resigns from GPHCDA
Oando opens ultra-modern petrol station in Lagos
Niger Delta Avengers: President Buhari Reads riot Act …considers the carrot and stick option
